Internet Marketing Toronto - Ignite!

PPC Tip #1 - Check Your Work

I’ve been running PPC ads with Google Adwords for quite some time now. I’m not perfect and I’ve made mistakes numerous times but quite often, they are either caught by me or by Google’s system - or worse yet - the client.

It seems over the past week, I have seen more and more “test” ads or poorly executed ads (strange keyword insertion attempts) posted in the content network and appearing in Gmail.

So… I present my earth shattering PPC Tip… CHECK YOUR WORK BEFORE YOU POST.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Kinda begs the question as to why these ads make it past Google’s filter on the content network… but would most likely be picked up before posting to the search index…

Some Excellent Podcasts to Enjoy Over the Holidays

This isn’t an Internet Marketing related post - per-say… but I imagine you might find a gem or two among my list. I am a fan of podcasting, it sure beats some of the radio play lists which seem to be more of an advertisement play list than actually playing music (yes, I acknowledge I sound like a cranky old man right now). Alas… I have my opinion and I am entitled to it! Back to podcasts… Here are my list of some great podcasts which get me through my day.

Tech-related
1. TWIT
2. Buzz Out Loud
3. GDGT Weekly
4. MacBreak Weekly
5. Digital Planet

Current Events
1. 60 Minutes
2. From Our Own Correspondent

Food
1. Jamie’s Ministry of Food Recipes

Sometimes Heroes Come in Small Sizes

I’m going to take a step away from our usual PPC, SEO fodder and share with you, gentle reader, something that is close to my heart.

A few years ago I was given the opportunity to visit Northern Uganda, a part of the world I had never given a second thought to. I was working with Canadian Food for the Hungry International (check out the pic of the smiling man… I took that!) who was in the midst of providing relief and development to this region of Africa. Specifically, they were beginning a center to care for the young girls who were victimized by war and neglect.

For those who aren’t familiar with the story of Northern Uganda, permit me to share it with you. For over 20 years the Acholii tribe of this region has been brutally terrorized by a rebel group called The Lords Resistance Army (LRA). The LRA are led by Joseph Kony, a mystic spiritual leader who fuels the ranks of his brigades by kidnapping children at night while they sleep. His new recruits are forced to obey his commanders and made to kill their brothers, sisters, parents and tribesmen - all in the name of terror and an attempt to “overthrow the government.” In an attempt to bring security to the region, the government has forced the millions of Acholii to live in “refugee” camps within their own land - prisoners of sorts with very little hope. Many children have grown up without ever knowing their ancestral lands and farms.

This evening, I watched an uplifting film called War Dance which chronicles an elementary school from Northern Uganda as they prepare for the National Music Competition where schools from around Uganda compete in traditional dance, choral, instrumental and original composition performances.

I encourage you to watch this film before you read on… and I warn that below… there is a spoiler

What I loved about this film is the way the directors told the story of Northern Uganda while demonstrating the unrelenting hope that is deep within the hearts of all Acholi children. Of particular note was the story of Dominic who shares the horrors he faced in “the bush” under the command of the LRA and how he lost his older brother. His ability to play the xylophone was amazing and will warm even the hardest heart. I was so happy to see him with the individual award for best musician and the entire school win for Best Cultural Dance. The dance they performed in the main auditorium in front of the largest crowd these children have probably ever seen.

To see them hold their trophy with such pride - giving home to their entire tribe reminds me that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

Look for the video at your local rental shop or purchase it online and help support a great cause.

New Tool - Google Moderator

Looks like Google is on a roll these days!  Most recently, it started with Google Chrome, then the first cell phone to include Google’s open source Android cell phone o.s. was released… and finally - Google Moderator.

What is Google Moderator?

A free service that will help track discussion topics within circles or companies.  Say for example, you have a company wide meeting and you want your staff to provide feedback and post questions they want answered.  Individuals can log into Moderator, post questions and vote up other questions they want answered in order of priority.  Something like this would be especically effective for internet marketing companies who have staff far and wide… in places like California, Australia, Toronto, Croatia and India (just as a totally random example :P).

Outside of a company based tool, it also proves to be a useful place for individuals to post and vote up questions of interest on topics like presidential debates, world issues and more.

Have a look, let me know what you think of it.

Comcast & Costco The Real Sponsors of TWIT?

Are Comcast and Costco The Real Sponsors of TWIT?

I’m a huge fan of the TWIT network and think Leo is creating a new category of online entertainment. The free content produced by TWIT subsidized by advertising dollars is outstanding.

Leo’s approach to advertising on the show is really good and not too disruptive. However, I personally think it’s far more clever than we think and perhaps recently it’s gotten away from him a bit. Has the curtain been ripped away to reveal what may be the truth behind TWIT Advertisers?

Much like Jason Calacanis and his jovial bantering with Leo in support of the Audible sponsorship I am convinced that Dvorak (dvorak.org/blog) is the one promoting the real advertisers of TWIT - Comcast and Costco!

Recent episodes of TWIT have had Dvorak.org/blog go on at length (at length!!) about how Comcast is comcastic this and that, and in the last episode of TWIT John went on, and on, (at the bequest of the cohosts) about the wonderful Easter Egg surprises you can find at Costco! It was like an episode of the Wine Magazine!

I’m fine with that. I think it’s hilarious how Dvorak cranks about everything except Comcast (does he have to pay his bill every month?) and Costco (does he get a free membership for this support?)!

Maybe I’m spending too much time on this, maybe not. Who knows, maybe Comcast and Costco should be the real sponsors of TWIT!

The Olympics - Uniting Nations, Educating Australia’s Youth

I love the Olympics… its a great demonstration of sport and courage. Some great things have happened at the Olympics like Jesse Owen’s demonstration at the 1936 Berlin games, the Jamacian bobsled team (”feel the rythim, feel the rhyme” … you finish the song in your head) and many many more.

What I love more about the Olympics is the opportunity to learn about other countries and cultures. A spirit captured by one of our staff in Australia. This is Stuart’s 5 year old son Jack, who learned all about Canada in his class study of the Olympics.

Though we have no medals (yet), though we will always live in the shadow of our neighbour to the south, though we will most likely be subjected to hours of commentary of how we underfund amateur sport… we are still a proud nation - with fans around the world!

To Jack… Canada salutes you - Nice flag eh!

Everyone needs a little fun in their life…

{{stephanie}} I am sitting at my desk this morning all set to write something intelligent and insightful about videos online… Then I realized that it is time for a bit of a fun blog. I haven’t written one of those in awhile.

Today I woke up on the perfect side of the bed and realized that I needed to spend some time checking in on my favourite websites. Now, everyone has their favourite sites that reflect personal interests and passions. What I love about blogs and community forums in general is that I can read about the sites that other people are interested in. For many of us, reading opinions online is a portal into another world that we did not know was even available.

It would be amazing if a day had 36 hours and I only needed an hour of sleep so that I could spend time exploring the world around me. The internet provides a clear window into the world around us that is so exciting and interesting, it can be hard to pull yourself away.

I was recently sitting with an uncle of mine discussing the internet and what it has to offer. That day, I was particularly spazzier than usual and was going on and on about how exciting podcasts were. I was telling my uncle that I had just listed to a fantastic documentary on China, learning how to improve Customer Service and in tune with all of the up to date news stories of the day.

My brain could not fathom a world without podcasts on this particular day. The debate began to unfold and my excitement started to dwindle as my uncle was laying out the dark side of the internet that he is familiar with. Being a police officer, he is regularly faced with stories of child molesters, addicts, and communities of killers using the internet as a tool to fulfill their deluded mission. A world so scary that I found it a challenge to acknowledge.

The reality is that a dark side exists in every part of our world. Where there is good, there is evil…the world of Batman and Superman are not far off in this case. I stood up straight and started to delve into all of the learning that can be done with the internet and the miraculous information that can be found online. The preaching began on what is available to us at our finger tips and I couldn’t hold myself back. I realized I was an addict.

Addicted to all things new and exciting. I started hearing myself say…”No wonder I get bored so quickly…I am used to immediate mental stimulation”. This information is fantastic; is it possible to overload?

How many of us subscribe to blogs and podcasts? How many of us lose time and aren’t sure where it went as we surf the web? Many. And I am one of them. Although the excitement of the online world has possible drawbacks, none of us can deny the information that comes from it and how many people benefit from access to this type of technology.

If everyone who reads this blog can add at least one of their favourite daily visits, others can start to explore new and interesting aspects of the online world that they weren’t aware of before. Below I am going to share a couple of my personal favourite websites with you all. Keep in mind that I restricted myself to non social networking and non blog and podcast related sites; otherwise we would be here all day. So on to the little fun in this fantastic Friday…

Time Photo Essays: I love photography and politics so this site is the epitome of a happy place for me. I try to visit this site daily and enjoy the fantastic photography available. A friend introduced me to this site and now I am there regularly.

BBC World News: If you had a chance to check out my bio on Spark Internet Marketing, you will know that I majored in Politics for my undergraduate degree which makes me forever a news junkie. The documentaries from the BBC can also be downloaded in the form of a podcast; currently one of my favourites. If I did not hear about a major news break before my husband…yikes, lookout!

Okay, it’s your turn!

~S

New Facebook Design and Ad Placement Location

Facebook announced a new round of changes to its site design and user interface today - in addition to changing the location of it’s ads.

In an announcement on July 20th Facebook states that the changes will result in a “cleaner, and simpler design, along with the opportunity for users to preview and test the next-generation features and functionality” You can read more from their official July 20th press release here

Changing Facebook’s Ad Location
In addition to this press release, advertisers were emailed a seperate announcement detaling the changes to the advertising system. Currently, Facebook ads are placed on the left side of the page, below a profiles navigation. The new changes will place the ad on the RIGHT side of the page - an area of the page that, arguably, users are more used to seeing ads (thank your Google, Yahoo and MSN).

Moreover, Facebook will now be showing TWO ads at any one time on any given page. There was no mention of how an ad is selected to place first, however it is safe to assume that placement will be determined by ones minimum CPC bid. That being said, this change may pave the way for Facebook to adopt a “quality score” type of a system similar to Google and Yahoo’s which “rewards” advertisers with higher ad placement through a calculation involving high click-through-rates, bids and landing pages.

The last major change is the addition of a new ad on Facebook’s home page. This ad will be located to the right of the News Feed and initially run for a limited set of advertisers (no mention of how to be part of that limited set). Their statement does say that “as this space continues to evolve and improve, we’ll provide more details.

It will be interesting to see how these changes affect the uptake of Facebook’s advertising system. Given the recent announcement that MySpace’s advertising platform is now operating in full swing, it appears that Facebook wanted to make a little splash of their own. That… and the fact that Facebook’s investors might be looking for some sort of return on their investment.

As a current Facebook advertiser, it would have been great to see them invest in their platform and add some very basic functionality that other services already have. Here is a list of my “Darn, Sure Wish Facebook Had This in Their System” wishes:

1. Conversion tracking - Google, Yahoo and MSN all have it and it REALLY helps explain to a client where their marketing dollars have gone and specifically what RETURN they have received for it

2. Better Billing Reporting - It can’t be that hard to create a system that sends me a pdf invoice of when a credit card has been changed and shows the breakdown of those charges/clicks

3. An MCC - Recently when I wanted to set up a new client I found that until another client had paid off their credit card… I couldn’t create a new campaign. Having some type of “My Client Centre” would be nice and would help manage different accounts in a more streamlined process.

4. Reports in HTML - Create the option of having reports generated as HTML, not just excel!

Basic rule of thumb (and this goes to Yahoo and MSN too) if you want more advertisers, serve the companies who are selling your product with effective tools to manage your system.

You can see Facebooks new changes by accessing their beta site here - however at last check, this was re-directing to their existing home page.

NorthxEast’s Fifty Most Influential Female Bloggers is out…

{{stephanie}} ‘Blogging is not just a boys club’ according to the NorthxEast’s Fifty Most Influential Female Bloggers article that was released recently.

Jarkko Laine breaks down a well thought out list of top female bloggers in the industry in this thorough article. My favourite main point in this article is that more women are becoming a part of the technology industry overall, blogging regularly and encouraging other women to get involved. This is a very positive message for those of us just starting out in the industry.

Instead of repeating the list of women here, what I am going to do is lay out the top 10 and also the ones that I found most interesting and have started to subscribe to. Can’t learn enough! I have to note one little peeve if you will indulge me. When trying to add some of these top 50 blogs to my Google Reader collection…some did not have an RSS feed available or have it noticeable. If bloggers are looking for an audience than please please please make your RSS feed link noticeable, available, clear…anything that would encourage me to click on it. PLEASE!!!! Further, if you don’t have an RSS link available to your audience…go get one! I can’t imagine that people are writing just for them…there has to be an audience of sorts. Rant complete!

Back on track. I have only entered the world of blogs in the last 2 years so it is a fairly exciting and new discovery on my part. Reading new information from a variety of sources on a regular basis is very exciting. Please feel free to share your favourite blogs and reasons why you love them! I appreciate your recommendations.

Alright…to the top 10 on the list of the most influential female bloggers:

10. Lisa Sugar

Sugar is the Editor-in-Chief of Sugar Publishing and started www.popsugar.comthat houses several networks surrounding celebrity gossip. NxE noted that her blog is significant because the project has been funded by Sequoia (they also funded Google and Youtube)…should be something to watch out for!

9. Ana Marie Cox

Cox has made herself famous, if you will, by writing political gossip as www.Wonkette.com with her alias Wonkette Emerita. The popularity of Wonkette gave her writer’s kudos in the world of politics. She wrote in Time Magazine’s blog and is currently the editor of Radar.

Personally, I love both Canadian and American politics and as such, will be taking a look at Cox’s work. It sounds exciting!! Who can resist?!

8. Xeni Jardin

Jardin is a woman of many talents as a tech culture journalist; co-editor of www.boingboing.net; co-host of Boing Boing tv; articles published in Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, Playboy and many more. NxE also notes that Jardin has also appeared on radio, television, and runs the Xeni Tech podcast. She is edgy and controversial…a love her or hate her personality and part of a hugely growing community online.

7. Heather Armstrong

Armstrong is well known for being fired from her job after gossiping about her co-workers and company on her blog. I love her already! She writes under the nickname, Dooce and her style is both fun and personal. According to NxE, “her incisive writing, wit and honesty” has given her a unique writing style and landed her in spot number 7. Check it out www.dooce.com! I have also subscribed to this one.

6. Erin Kissane

Kissane is the writer and editorial strategist for good editorial practices and business communications. Her blog, www.alistapart.com is an important resource to web developers. NxE totes her as a person who will “define what the Internet will be today and in the future.”

5 . Michelle Malkin

Malkin is known for her political socially conservative perspective and has made appearances on MSNBC, Fox News, and C-SPAN. Her writing is very controversial…so you know I will be checking it out! Plainly, when Malkin speaks and writes…people listen and read.

www.michellemalkin.com

4. Pamela Jones

Jones is the online legal guru focusing on issues surrounding open source and free software community. She keeps the rest of us non-legal minded folk up to date. She is currently the editor of www.groklaw.net and has offered her knowledge to the book Open Source 2.0: The Continuing Evolution.

3. Gina Trapani

Trapani is one of the best writers of technology and productivity today. She has acquired a committed large readership. Lifehacker is a Gawker media web blog that provides tips and tricks, software and information to its followers. NxE says that it is a “must-read for many people, bloggers, and non-bloggers alike.” This will now be moved to my top 5 list!

www.lifehacker.com

2. Ariana Huffington

How does this sound: 12 books, co-founder and editor of the www.huffingtonpost.com. Huffington Post is a political blog and another on my list to follow. Huffington Post is the fourth ranked blog on Technorati and gets more than 18 million page views this month. It also helps that she has a few noted celebrity friends, according to NxE, such as Norman Mailer and Nora Ephron. Time Magazine listed Ariana Huffington on their list of 100 Most Influential People in 2006.

1. Lisa Stone, Elisa Camahort Page & Jory Des Jardins

The top female blogger is a team effort from these three women that are meeting and writing for the purpose of promoting a community site that encourages and supports female bloggers. These ladies have planned and are continuing to plan events that encourage woman to start and succeed at blogging. This is a blog that myself and all other women reading this blog should check out. www.blogher.com

Happy Reading!

~S

A New Format For Microsoft Word Documents

What if instead of paying alot of money for Microsoft Word - you simply paid a small fee to create a Word Document?

Microsoft is and has been in a battle to preserve their revenues from Microsoft Office while combating free services like Google Docs. Having been testing Google Docs and EverNote recently the following thought occurred to me.

The core features of MS Word that I need on a very infrequent basis is the Table of Contents, cross referencing and styles for when I am producing a very long proposal. Otherwise I don’t need the power house that is MS Word. A simple richt text document with font formatting and bulleting will suffice for the overwhelming majority of the documents that I write.

Unfortunately I have to pay the hefty price for the entire office suite. Well, what if Microsoft made a version of the .docx (or .doc) file that was both the Editor (to write the document) and the viewer (to view the document) and then allowed me to purchase the right to produce individual .docx documents? I may even purchase them in bulk and save some money. I am no longer paying for the program to create an unlimited number of documents but for the right to create a limited number of documents in the volume that I need. A user-name and password of sorts configured during the purchase process would allow me to edit the document - while default access would only allow viewing.

In this new model I would then be free to purchase only the number of .docx files that I need to do my job and not any more. I would also have the freedom to edit my documents on any computer as the lightweight editor is bundled into the file itself.

What do you think? Is this idea worth further consideration?